Despite a poor economy, car sales continue to grow in not only the U.S. but around the world. Toyota just introduced its first mini-car in Japan, called the “Pixis Space.” Ford CEO Alan Mulally said Ford may make electric vehicles in China, but didn’t say when. All that and more, plus a look at Mazda’s new SKYACTIV technology.

This is Autoline Daily for September 26, 2011. And here’s what’s happening in the wonderful world of the automobile.

CAR SALES GROW DESPITE POOR ECONOMY
The economic headlines these days look as dire as they come. The global economy is slowing down, the financial system is tottering, unemployment is stubbornly high and yet car sales are doing pretty good. Sales in the American market are expected to finish strongly this month, up ahead of last month, and Ford says sales of its F-Series pickups are the best they’ve been in five months.

GLOBAL SALES UP (subscription required)
And it’s not just in the U.S. Ward’s reports that global sales were up more than 7 percent last month, and that includes a 12 percent increase in Europe, yes despite all the headlines about the meltdown in the Euro zone. Sales were up in South America, the NAFTA region, and Asia. The only major markets where sales were down were in India and Japan.

CAR SALES TO CONTINUE GROWTH
So how come car sales can be going so strong in the face of so much dire economic news? Because as bad as things seem to be, the vast majority of people still have jobs. And they need cars, especially since so many of them postponed buying one during the Great Recession of 2008. Forecasting can be a dangerous occupation, but the forecasters say sales are going to get even better.

TOYOTA PIXIS SPACE
Toyota just introduced its first mini-car in Japan, called the “Pixis Space.” It’s actually manufactured by Daihatsu, a subsidiary of Toyota. Starting price for this kei car is less than $15,000. Toyota plans to introduce two additional mini-models in Japan, but has not announced when they’ll go on sale. Overall, the company is aiming to sell some 60,000 mini-cars per year in Japan, a modest number compared to Honda, which moved 160,000 last year.

STAINLESS STEEL EXHAUST MANIFOLD (subscription required)
Engineers are constantly looking for ways to make vehicles lighter to deliver better fuel economy. According to Ward’s, a prime target for weight reduction is exhaust manifolds. More and more automakers are making them out of stainless steel instead of cast iron. This can reduce weight by up to 50 percent, which translates into a 10 or 15 pound savings! Another benefit of sheet-metal manifolds is that they have smooth internal passages, which gives them better flow characteristics.

BIZARRE PRIUS AD
Earlier in the year at the Detroit Auto Show, Toyota unveiled new vehicles that will join the Prius lineup. And to let consumers know it’s expanding the Prius lineup, the company just created this bizarre commercial to get the message out. Plenty of computer animation was involved but those are real actors you’re looking at. So what do you think of the ad? Is it cool or just creepy?

FORD MAY DEVELOP EVs IN CHINA
Last week GM announced it will develop electric cars in China with its partner SAIC. Now Bloomberg reports Ford is considering doing the same. Speaking at a groundbreaking for an engine plant in China, CEO Alan Mulally said Ford may make EVs in China, but didn’t say when. Automakers must share EV technology with Chinese partners in order for the cars to qualify for tax credits. The government wants 1 million EVs on the road by 2015. At the same event, Mulally also said Ford is considering introducing Lincoln into the Chinese market as well.

I’m Isaac Bouchard outside Vancouver, British Columbia, and I’m driving on the wrong side of the car. That report’s coming up.

MAZDA SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY
I’m in the mountains outside of Vancouver, BC. As you know, Canadians drive on the left as we do in the states and I’m in a right-hand drive car. That’s not the only unusual thing about this Mazda. This is an advanced prototype for what they’re calling their SKYACTIV technology.

The way Mazda met those engineering challenges was to redesign six key elements that, among other things, will take weight out of the car, increasing mileage and decreasing emissions. So when they’re released, SKYACTIV vehicles will offer one of two new engines — a gasoline and a diesel — two new transmissions — a manual and an automatic, as well as a new body and a new chassis . . . everything lighter, stronger and more efficient than current models.

SKYACTIV fits perfectly with Mazda’s legacy of iconoclastic, groundbreaking engineering — things like the rotary engine and the reinvention of the affordable sports car with the Miata.

These prototypes are our first taste of what’s to come; next up is the freshened Mazda3 with a SKYACTIV engine and transmission. This will be followed by the first full-Skyactiv Mazda, the CX-5, in 2012.

In Vancouver, British Columbia, this is Isaac Bouchard for Autoline Daily.

Thanks for that report Isaac. And that wraps up today’s report on the global news in the automotive industry. Thanks for watching, we’ll see you tomorrow.

I’ve seen the Prius ad a couple times, and it didn’t strike me as either cool or bizarre, just informative to people who didn’t know there will be these other Prius-derived cars. It mainly struck me as premature because none of the new cars are at dealers yet, at least not where I am.

Toyota Prius ad; Totally creeped out. Maybe if I hadn’t been seeing photos of all those piles of mutilated bodies in the current Mexican drug war, it wouldn’t be that way. Anyway, we won’t have to worry about DeLorenzo puking out over the bright shiny people ads like last year.

For Mazda, the issue they will need to deal with is long term reliability and cost. If Skyactive engines hold up and repair / maintence costs are low to moderate, then Mazda will have a another winner like the Miata. Not really that impressed with the Prius ads. Its an artistic triumph over the message about the product. Seening the cars and trucks being traded in for new cars, wear and tear is driving the market now. Some trade-ins are flat out unsafe.

from what I can gather, SkyAcive is more than an engine thing. It’s about getting performance out of lightweight cars with efficient use of available energy. A lot of different engineering categories at once.

OK Mazda, now that I did my thing, tell me what’s up with the new Miata.

@10 You want pictures, tj? The human toll of the drug economy is horrific. Did you hear about the Mexican female journalist last week, who had written about some drug related crime? It’s hard to get the images out of my mind, but I don’t think it’s part of the american zeitgeist. It’s a neat ad,….unless….

I don’t know if its the stress of the last three years finally wearing off , the fact that I’m now really seeing Vettle’s genius for what it is or what , but in spite of the Poison Dwarf etc I’m enjoying F1 again

As to the RBR book , I can’t say I’m learning anything terribly new , but I sure am enjoying seeing all the bits and bobs up close as well as it kind of makes up for SPEED TV not doing Steve Matchett’s Inside Line bits on the pre race show .

Do you mean, Steve “come on boys” Matchett, tj? His chalk talk is viewable online before the weekend racing.

My take on Hamilton is that he’s so frustrated with the car’s pace that he’s driving over his and the car’s limits. Poor Massa. If you read the Haynes book through, I think you may get the sense that Vettel is really really quick, but that it’s Webber that the team uses to develop the car.

If they had made the Prius ad using the nether regions of the body, then they could have hired Kanye West to “fill” that part. I saw the ad for the upcoming Prii but where are they??, why do they spend millions to promote cars that are not yet available, I never got it!

Like all other car-makers do, they roll out slowly,a few here,a few there, you go see them and then you find out you gotta wait months and months to get one at full MSRP or higher and you end up getting pissed off at the dealer and or the brand, I say, be patient and wait till there’s plenty of stock available.

Tj, do you follow the live timing of the qualifying and races? the Formula1 site lets you see sector times, race position, with running typed commentary. Since I don’t do cables, I’ll just get a sense of how each driver is doing; with it being obvious yesterday that Vettel had effectively stopped racing midway in the race. Having it online also let’s me do other stuff at the same time, Pedro knows what I’m talking about.

If I’m reading things correctly , the ZR1 has to have its Supercharger removed in order to ” Play Fair ” wiff the po little chilruns from ……. ahem …….. Ferrari … Lmaborghini ….. Audi etc . All of who’s cars cost at least twice the price of a reasonably discounted ZR1

F1 – Nope I watch it on the TV as I can’t stand sitting in front of a computer screen for more then 15 minutes , and have no desire to WiFi my APPLE ( for T Bejima in case he’s looking in ) to get the signal to the TV .

you mean to say you don’t trust WPA2-PSK encryption, tj? You’re seriously sitting there with your laptop attached to an IV? No WiFi? Did you see that Q2 is now downloading an app for iPhone and iPad?

On ZR1, it is so curious that it needs to be detuned to conform. Yet BMW is making more power on the track. Something isn’t right with the restrictions, like who writes the engine management software that feeds in the power at low revs?

F1, it is interesting to watch the sector times, as do the engineers at trackside. It was instantly apparent that Vettel had slowed, or that Webber had given up on catching the guy in front. More info than the round and round.

Vignette; over the weekend I talked to a guy that had a new M3 coupe. The first thing he said after I admired it was that he had a love/hate feeling towards it. Huh? It was heavy, it had great power at the low and top ends, but wasn’t so hot in the midrange. He had gotten the flappy paddles, but his tone was not too enthused. Huh? That’s a 60K car that we’re all supposed to envy; him not so much. At least he tracks it.

re. #25,
The current MB diesels don’t get good enough fuel economy. The E350 Bluetec has mileage ratings of 22-33, while the competing BMW 528 gets 22-32, on gas. The E350 gas has 17-24 ratings, so worst-in-class that people who care about fuel economy look elsewhere.

VW is selling a high percentage of Golfs and Jetta wagons with diesels, which, with 30-42 ratings, get better mpg than anything you can get except Prius. If Mercedes sells the B-Class with a 4 cylinder diesel, and it matches, or nearly matches the VW diesels, it should sell.

Well mate , hate to be the bearer of bad news but Toyota’s Hybrid concept is anything but original or new .

Dr Ferdinand Porsche created the Loher- Porsche Mixte Hybrid , of which the Prius is a direct descendant of with the ONLY changes being in materials and computers ……..back in 1901 !

( read the SAE papers on Hybrids )

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@ HtG

Hate again to be the bearer of Bad news , but for less than $250 I can buy a device that can hack into any WiFi within a 100 square yard radius , whereas it would take at least ten times the price and effort to hack into a land line .

Same with Cell Phones ( remember who the Mrs works for before arguing the point my friend )

99% of all Industrial and Personal Sabotage happens thru WiFi and Cell Phones . I’ve seen first ( very first ,… a good friend is a very high priced PI and well …… I’ve been witness to his/her efforts ) hand just how easy it is .

Its like leaving your front door unlocked in the city , waiting for someone to try the knob .

explain tj. How does a device break a 128 hexidecimal code? How long does it take to try out all the combinations. If you were to use lower level security like WEP then yeah, that’s easier.(I think verizon wants people using this just so people don’t share connections)Phones, forget it, Rupert’s police are listening. Hear about Siena Miller? Check the Daily Mail.

As to Lady tj, no way I’m going there, except to say I have excellent reasons and knowledge as to why communications are insecure. (Is there an NSA/AT&T node there in KC?)

#42,
That’s what I was thinking. A new, made-up word seems to be working well for Ford, so maybe Mazda decided to try the same thing. Also, maybe part of SKYACTIVE is a turbocharged, direct injection gas engine.

The SkyActive name seems to me to be a catch all term. It’s more than efficient engines, it’s about light fun cars that make the most of resources lie the engine and transmission. I think.(At the NY show last spring even a product specialist couldn’t really explain it any deeper than some phrases)

The Pixis is quite a bit smaller than the original xB, but kind of the same idea.

Pixis might be too small to sell in the U.S., but maybe they should start selling the “old” xB again. It was’t a great highway car, but has a following and gets very good city mpg for a box on wheels, at least with a manual transmission. The new xB is safer and bigger, but is kind of thirsty with its 2.4 engine.

This Pixis is called a micro car yet the wheelbase is 98 in. identical to the 1993-2002 Corolla, NOT a microcar. Also announced the new Yaris will cost as much as a Camry of a few years ago. No wonder car sales are so bad.

I did not mean to say the Pixis is not a micro car I meant the Corolla from that era having a short wheelbase gave it horrible leg room fore and aft. I could never understand why they could not increase wheelbase and maintain same overall length.

Hey Sergio, maybe you should move Alfa production to Mexico or Southeast USA, maybe your paisan are not such good car builders after all. I remember fondly my one and only time driving an Alfa out of the dealer for a test drive and having the freaking radiator hose spring a leak and leave wife, sales rep and moi stranded 3 blocks from dealership. ps I did not buy the Alfetta.

I do not think that the investors that are MOVING hugh FUNDS into SAFE HAVENS are included in this worldwide bunch.It takes the general public quite some time to really feel the pain of an actual DEPRESSION.Ofwhich we are really in the fore stages of a WORLDWIDE DINGER.
Ronald REAGAN told the communist that the US would run so fast so hard that they would FALL trying to catch up.Guess what, the POSSUM[POOT POOT]POTIN turned it back into our face.Who is falling within TODAY?Russia has used the Islam religion and DRUGS to pull us DOWN.

That EPA site is inaccurate and out of date , especially when it comes to new year models . Always has been . Always will be . Trust the Road Tests , not the EPA ( or CR for that matter as all their tests are on closed courses , not in real world driving )

As far as M-B not sending over anything you want . well unfortunately what you ( and I for that matter ) want is not what Joe Average Mercedes buyer wants ( re-read my posts up above ) and like every other Manufacture M-B isn’t about pandering to the Minority .

Honestly if I could of had the exact GLK I wanted it would of been the Diesel with the Off Road Package and minimal Add on Goodies .

The fact is EVERY manufacture , including Toyota make a plethora of Cars many of us might want , that they the auto makers know they’d never be able to sell enough of to justify bring ing them here .

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@ pedro #48

Cars over the last decade have become like Women’s Dress sizes ;

Last years Size 10 is this years Size Six

So you’re right in saying this years so called Micro Car is the same size as a few years ago’s Compact .

This Size Inflation trend is going on World Wide and we’re ( in the US ) not the first , nor only ones to Notice/ Complain .

If the FACT that both the RWD and the 4matic on your chosen site get the same MPG , doesn’t set off Alarms and Warning Bells ( just HTH do you think 4matic with its extra weight and additional friction from AWD gets the same mpg as RWD only ) then you’ve got more than a few things to learn about Automotive Dynamics and Efficiency .

#55 If he moves production stateside to existing or abandoned Chrysler plants, he would score some points here but I doubt the FIAT unions over there would be very happy with this and he may have work stoppages or worse, slowdowns and poor build quality as payback.

SkyActive = A Nonsensical , Post Modern , Synthetically Created Buzz Word created by a Cynical Focus Group within Mazda so the Marketing Department can have a Hey Day pulling the Wool over the General Public , Fooling them into thinking they’re getting something new , when in fact its the same old song by the same old artist with a Fancy New Moniker and not much else

Come on guys . A little more Honest Cynicism if you please .

BS is BS so lets call it what it is .

Or would we all prefer to succumb to this pathetic level of Marketing Hype ?

#54 Indeed this is the case, including the bloated Accord which I understand will be smaller next model year, big gamble for Honda, look at the Kizashi how poorly it is doing, despite having great reviews.

Actually, the 4matic gets one mpg worse “overall” rating, but the same city and highway ratings as the RWD. They round the measured results for the city and highway, and then weight the “raw data” for the overall rating, and then round that number.

The test results probably ended up where they rounded down the RWD measurements, and rounded up the 4wd results.

The EPA tests and CR are the best data that is available. If you think they even make a serious attempt to accurately measure gas mileage in “buff book” tests, you are more out of touch than I realized.

I was quoting the 2011 EPA numbers because the 2012 data is incomplete, and it some cases, the numbers for the same car are a little different with the new system.

Your royal arrogance. You seem to be the one who lacks logic and makes up a lot of “facts.”

Do you think they measure exactly even MPG when they run the tests? There is rounding going on. With a heavy, inefficient car like the E350, the difference between the RWD and 4matic is not going to be huge, and in this case, was within rounding error.

@51 I wish Alfa could succeed, tj. I learned to drive in a 72 Spider, and have spent some time in one of the sedans in the nineties(Italian boss). I like these cars a lot. I got to see a 159 in DC, and was it very pretty; proportions and colors. If they come in with the 4C and a small crossover(yeah, it’s wrong, but people want SUVs) maybe there will be a niche for them. I just remember how long it took to make a US 500 and consider the effort and expense it takes to bring any car here. VW seems to have more money for development, and now there are all these dealerships in the US. Maybe Serge and Marti can arrange something. It’s quite beyond me to predict.(take a look at the Mazda2 and Ford Fiesta, would you have guessed they shared a platform?)

Well HtG I’m a more sedate driver and I’ve tried the Mazda5,6 and the 7, not in that order and I failed to find the zoom in those models, the ones you refer to are sporty ones and I am sure they are good performers, but they should make that clear in their ads.

I must say I am happier than heck you guys waited for me today–Geesh!!! Gabby-Gabby!

I have yet to believe in EV’s,but the thought of Ford developing them in China urks me to no end. Its just for the money,I know,but it remains nothing more than selling ones soul to the devil. And for what?; 25-30% at a cost of all of anothers technology.I am very saddened that beliefs in morals,loyalty,responsibility and devotion have become lost in my generation. Forgive my words,but, screw those “Chinks!” The senate votes for FEMA money today,paid inpart by eliminating EV subsidies. Sounds dandy to me!

I,for one ,have been looking forward to learn more about the SKYACTIV technology,especialy, the diesel. The compression ratio thing scares me,except for the diesel. Time will tell if Mazda is selling more than hype. For what it cost,my sons 2.0l Mazda3 has been a good choice for him. I’m not crazy about how all the body panels are assembled,yet so-far-so-good. My in-law has a CX-9 and a 6. The suv is avg. and he raves about the 6. Any how, I’m looking forward for long tem data to examine.

Global sales are up–woopie-poopie! Wonder how many will get a visit from the repo man? The world has over extended itself and continues to do so. Hold on to what you got! Putting it in a matress isn’t all that bad of an idea!

of course that car is made to be fun to drive, just like the Golf GTI compared to the regular one same goes for the Civic SI, Sentra SR, only Corolla seems to have missed that boat. BTW I just read that the new Focus has worse than average reliability. So much for perfect Ford.

Kit: When choosing a Mazda3 with my son,we drove all three flavors; the 2.0,2.3 and the speed3. The mpg,low profile tires,which includes their excessive wear out @15K and noise and extra cost lead us to choose the 2.0. The 2.3 screems and just too fast for a young driver. And the speed3 is for those who frequent the track on weekends and should require a pilots license. The torque steer on these faster models is a handfull!

Cwolf, when I drove the Mazda3 one thing we got to do was practice braking at the limit, braking and turning, and lane toss exercises. That car can really take it. On an autocross it will do just about anything you ask, except if you floor it out of a turn, you will be waiting a bit for anything to happen(good news for fathers). A car I’d be happy with.

You should have seen the blue smoke and embarrassment when the young guys had to practice braking the cars that had had the ABS turned off. Ha ha, young people!

The mazda3 is a nice car. I drove it for about 35K before handing it over to Zach. It was fun to drive! My fanny like Milan better! Zach wasn’t happy with the reach of the low beams, so the other day I replaced them with the pricy HD bulbs. Mucho better, but does anyone know if the life is shorter than the std.? I put them in a p/u several years ago…many times! I changed back.